iPhone Software 3.0 may offer voice control, dialing - report

A new report is backing rumors of Voice Dialing support inside betas of Apple's iPhone 3.0 Software but adds that capability may be just one of several features included in a new Voice Services framework that may also facilitate voice control of the new OS.

Adding to discoveries of "Voice Control" preferences within the International preferences of the upcoming release, contacts speaking to Ars have located a number of function calls to voice control features apparently nicknamed "Jibbler."

While details are few and far between, the features appear to tie into the new version of the Springboard application that serves as the iPhone's home screen and application launcher. In particular, references to VSSpeechSynthesizer, VSRecognitionSession, SBVoiceControlDisableHandlerActions, SBSensitiveJibblerEnabled, and SBVoiceControlSoundCompletion were uncovered.

While those methods appears to be private at this time, meaning they're accessible to Apple but not third-party developers, it's speculated that they could initially provide support for Voice Dialing on current and future iPhone handsets. In addition, they could also provide an alternative means of controlling the iPhone's Springboard services.

"Jibbler may be controlled via the iPhone headset —button squeezes could be used to record short voice segments from the user, which Jibbler will then interpret," the report notes. "Voice synthesis can then be used to give the user a response, similar to the latest generation iPod shuffle, which can 'read' playlists and track names —the difference being that the iPhone hardware itself could handle real-time voice synthesis."

Apple has said it plans to release iPhone Software 3.0 sometime this summer as a free upgrade for all current iPhone owners. A distribution for iPod touch users will cost $10.